In America, we see Islamic women all covered up and think, "That poor woman, made to be ashamed of her body!" But is it any less oppressive to convince a woman that her uncovered body is never beautiful enough? Is covering enslavement... or freedom? I wanted to find out.

2.08.2011

EXTREEEEME MODESTY!!

At the beginning of this month I decided to challenge myself a little more with respect to how I was dressing. See, I was wearing cute hats, shirts and pants, and while it was initially difficult it got to a point where I realized that I was dressing sort of the same as before, only now I only wore hats and long-sleeved shirts.

So I decided that, for the month of February (at least) I was going to try some headscarf action, and only wear skirts. The results have been really interesting.

1) I feel beautiful, and I get complimented a lot on how "elegant" or "classy" I look. I feel elegant.
2) At least five people who know me well did not recognize me with a headscarf on. This, according to several of them, is because I look like a Muslima, and they're not used to my looking like that. A few times, I've actually had to point to myself and say, "Lauren," when someone stares confusedly into my face when I greet them in the morning. Also contributing to this phenomenon, and more interesting because it's the opposite of what I expected:
3) NO ONE looks at me.

This last one is, according to those I have asked, because, "You try not to stare at people who are significantly different," especially Muslim women. We're taught, when we see a woman with a headscarf, not to stare at her to avoid making her uncomfortable. Makes sense, but it's the opposite of what I expected.

In general, I feel less trendy and less visible (although I'm sure people are staring at me when I'm not looking), but even more femininely beautiful.

Last Thursday I gave a sermon at Candler, and I wore makeup. I'll write more this week about how that felt-- it was truly shocking how much less-beautiful I felt, and how much more I worried about how I looked.

But for now, another brutal week in grad school is looming! If you'd like to hear the sermon (it was about immigration), go to "Sermons and Speeches on iTunes" in the center of this page:

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About Me

I'm a grad student getting my M.Div. at Candler Theological Seminary at Emory. I'll be turning 30 next year, and I've recently noticed that I heal more slowly, need more sleep, and have more trouble staying thin. I say I'm a feminist who doesn't buy into the beauty myth, because it's just a ploy to keep women forking over for expensive clothes, makeup, surgery, etc. But facing the realization that I won't be "hot" forever fills me with terror, and suddenly I see that for someone who believes she's above Western culture's emphasis on appearance, I sure do place a lot of importance on how I look. I have about $400 worth of makeup in my bathroom and God knows how much in clothes, and the very thought of giving all that away and going without makeup, even for a day, fills me with an unfamiliar, gripping panic.
I wonder: what would life be like for me if I just... STOPPED? So from 1/1/11 to 9/16/11, I'm going to dress "modestly"-- which means covering my hair, arms and legs-- and I'm going to stop wearing makeup. Cold turkey, from stylish to stripped down, every day for over nine months. I wonder what will happen?